She was 101 and had been suffering from a respiratory infection since Christmas.

She had recently expressed the wish to live to 114 so she could become the oldest living British person ever.

Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, was at her bedside when she died. Her only other child, Princess Margaret, died last month at age 71.

Prince Charles said he was "completely devastated" by his grandmother's death and rushed back from a holiday in Switzerland with his two sons, Princes William and Harry, to join his family at Windsor Castle.

Prince Andrew, his two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, and their mother, Sarah, the Duchess of York, returned from Barbados, where they had been vacationing.

The public began laying flowers at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace after the queen mother's death was reported.

At his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President Bush on Saturday expressed sympathy, saying he and First Lady Laura Bush were "deeply saddened" by the news.

"On behalf of the American people, we send our heartfelt condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to the people of the United Kingdom, for this tremendous loss," the president said.

"She was a pillar of strength and inspiration to many people all over the world. Laura and I, and her many admirers throughout this nation, will miss her."

A Scottish noblewoman more British than the largely German royal family she married into, the queen mother had been a fixture in her nation's life since 1936, when her husband, Prince Albert, was proclaimed king. He was crowned King George VI and she became queen consort on May 12, 1937.

She helped restore faith in the monarchy after the scandalous brief reign of her husband's brother, King Edward VIII.

As queen during World War II, she set an example of courage and sacrifice by remaining in London during the blitz when she had been urged to seek safety in Canada. She and her husband were a frequent presence among ordinary Britons who suffered during the bombing, and she was active in many relief and war efforts.

Adolf Hitler called her "the most dangerous woman" in Britain because of her ability to boost British morale.

Work for charities

Later in life, she continued to be active in charitable work as head or honorary head of more than 350 organizations.

"During her long and extraordinary life, her sense of duty and remarkable zest for life made her loved and admired by people of all ages and backgrounds, revered within our borders and beyond," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

"We are all the poorer because this gracious lady has been taken from us," said the archbishop of Canterbury. "Her unfailing dignity, devotion to duty and charm have been a precious part of our national life for as long as most of us can remember."

She was born Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon on Aug. 4, 1900, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Her father was Scotland's Lord Glamis, later the 14th Earl of Strathmore. A 14th Century ancestor was the Thane of Glamis, whose castle was previously home to King Macbeth of Shakespearean legend.

As a teenager, she helped tend to the wounded when her family castle was turned into a hospital during World War I--a conflict that took the life of her brother, Fergus.

Members of the royal family often visited Castle Glamis, and she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of King George V's daughter, Princess Mary.

Marriage to Prince Albert

A pretty debutante, she lived a social but rather unremarkable life until her engagement and marriage in Westminster Abbey in 1923 to Mary's brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York, who would become King George VI.

In reporting her wedding, the Times of London noted that little was known "about well-bred young ladies who live quietly at home."

As Duchess of York, she was drawn with her husband into the West End social circle surrounding her brother-in-law, Edward, when he was Prince of Wales and, for nearly a year, king.

This included weekends at Edward's country castle retreat called "the Fort," where there were encounters with Edward's mistress, American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson, who according to some accounts treated the future queen contemptuously. Simpson, who was regarded by the British upper classes as a social climber, reportedly referred to Elizabeth as "mousy."

Simpson hoped to become queen, but objections from Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, among others, compelled Edward to abdicate the throne.

Many historians believe this act helped save the monarchy--and British democracy--because Edward was a known German sympathizer and Britain shortly afterward was at war with Germany.